The invention pertains to a knee brace, comprising a tubular elastic knitted body with at least one pressure pad arranged thereon, which, when the brace is being worn, extends across the patellar tendon.
Many people, especially athletes, often complain of pain in the knee. A syndrome which is frequently recognized in such cases is called “patellar apex syndrome”. The patellar tendon is an essential part of the knee's locomotor apparatus. The patella is located on the front-facing side of the knee joint between the thigh and the lower leg. It is part of the knee joint and has a more-or-less triangular shape, wherein the apex of the triangle points down to the lower leg. The extensor muscles of the thigh are connected by a tendon to the top of the patella, that is, to the base of the triangle. From the apex of the triangle of the patella, the patellar tendon extends down to the anterior side of the lower leg. The force of the thigh extensor muscles is transmitted to the lower leg by the patellar tendon. The patellar tendon is a very narrow tendon, which must absorb and transmit all of this force. Especially under very heavy loads such as those which occur during rapid running or jumping, etc., the patellar tendon is subjected to strong and occasionally slightly jerky tensile stresses. This can cause excessive stress on the tendon, which then manifests as tendonitis.
Knee braces are used for the conservative treatment of this syndrome, i.e., of the pain; they consist of a knitted tube, which is elastic and therefore exerts a compressive force. A pressure pad is arranged on the knitted tube to exert the desired pressure on the patellar tendon. The pressure is intended to reduce the pain. So that the pressure pad exerts adequate pressure on the patellar tendon, a tension strap or tightening belt is provided. This strap may pass over the pressure pad, but in any case extends around to the back of the joint, i.e., to the hollow of the knee. It can therefore pass around a complete 360°, or it can extend at least from one side of the patella, around the back of the knee, to the other side of the patella. Although the tension strap is very important for applying the desired pressure, it can also be a problem, since it constricts the joint to a certain extent and thus interferes with the bending of the knee. The tension strap also increases the pressure on the back of the knee, which can sometimes be perceived as painful, which cancels out the advantages achieved in regard to the patellar tendon.